Integral cab rollover protection structures (ROPS) are useful to protect the operator of vehicles working in rugged environments from vibration, noise and also from injury in the event of vehicle rollover or other forces asserted on the protection structure. Typically the cab will be formed of sheet metal material and secured to the ROPS to create the cab enclosure. The ROPS may be external to the cab (external ROPS) or internal to the cab (internal ROPS). The ROPS are generally designed to withstand the forces encountered during potential vehicle rollovers. Therefore, the mounting structures for the ROPS are generally designed to transfer any forces that may be applied thereto into the frame with a hard connection and, as such, may be bolted directly to the frame to provide the necessary structural rigidity to withstand the forces of potential rollovers.
Given this hard connection, it has been found that undesirable vibration and noise may be transmitted to the cab enclosure. Accordingly, in order to provide the operator of the machine with a comfortable experience, as well as to prevent potential operator error and/or damage to electronic or pneumatic equipment within the cab enclosure, it is known to incorporate vibration isolating mounts in the mounting structures for the ROPS. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,182,024, issued on May 22, 2012 and assigned to Caterpillar, Inc., discloses such a mount for a ROPS. More specifically, the '024 patent discloses a plurality of vibration damping mechanisms configured to at least partially inhibit transmission of shocks and vibrations between the sub-frame and the cab for the construction machine including the ROPS while still providing a rigid connection between the machine supporting frame. However, while mounts such as those disclosed in the '024 patent have been successful in limiting transmission of undesirable noise and vibration to the cabs, service requiring removal of the cab (including the ROPS attached thereto), may be difficult due to the mounting structures.